Earlier this week, the House Natural Resources Committee voted to authorize a subpoena for records related to implementing the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This action comes in light of controversy on whether FY13 SRS monies are subject to sequestration.
The Obama Administration maintains that 2013 monies must be sequestered, meaning the allocation is subject to a near five percent reduction. California complied with the Obama Administration’s request under sequestration, and a large amount of monies were no longer available. Members of the House Natural Resources Committee contend these monies were not subject to sequestration, and have subpoenaed the Administration’s documents to determine the Administration’s reasoning.
In the same vote, the Committee authorized Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Washington) to issue subpoenas for Interior Department records on the Stream Buffer Zone rule, concerning coal mining’s impact on water, and enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which bans killing migratory or endangered birds. The Committee also agreed to subpoena records on potential conflicts of interest by current and former employees of the Interior Department in connection with the administration of public lands.